


Children Are Underestimated

by Rod



Series: Harry Potter and the Teenage Spy [3]
Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Crossover, Gringotts Wizarding Bank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rod/pseuds/Rod
Summary: Alex Rider has never robbed a bank before.  There's a first time for everything.
Series: Harry Potter and the Teenage Spy [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/273162
Comments: 13
Kudos: 129





	Children Are Underestimated

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of the dialogue and description is closer to JK Rowling's writing than I would normally go, so I feel the need for a more serious disclaimer than normal. Harry, his friends and the raid on Gringotts come from JK Rowling's imagination, while Alex Rider and his toys come from Anthony Horowitz.

"Wow, you look wet."

Harry Potter wiped his glasses again just to be sure that he wasn't hallucinating the boy standing in front of him. "Alex," he said, "how on earth did you manage to get here?"

Alex Rider shrugged. "When you told me about this insane bank robbery and how tight the magical security on this place was, I wondered how good its non-magical security is. Turns out it's pants."

There had to be more to it than that, Harry thought. True, aside from a few scuff marks on his clothes Alex looked like he had just strolled in while Harry and his friends were still sopping wet from the Thief's Downfall, but it couldn't have been that easy. At the very least Gringotts would have put Muggle-repelling charms on every possible entry to their vaults. Though if anyone was going to get past anti-Muggle wards it would be Alex Rider.

"What is this?" Griphook demanded suspiciously. "Who is this intruder, Harry Potter?"

"I'm your backup," Alex said with a big smile. If he was at all surprised to be talking to a goblin, it didn't show. "Now where's this vault then?"

Griphook clearly didn't like the brush-off he was getting from someone only barely taller than himself, but he knew as well as the rest of them that there wasn't time to argue. He led the way towards the Lestrange vault, throwing mistrustful looks over his shoulder at Harry and Alex as they went. Harry was paying so much attention to Griphook that he would have forgotten to order Bogrod to accompany them if Hermione hadn't reminded him.

When they turned the corner and saw the dragon, Harry wished he could have reacted with more nonchalance. The thing was enormous though. Its skin was in poor condition from being tethered underground for so long and its eyes looked to be in a bad way, but it was still huge and the fire it breathed still had them running back around the corner for cover.

"That was cool," Alex breathed, his eyes gleaming.

"Not cool," Ron panted. "Not cool at all. That flaming thing nearly incinerated us!"

"It tried," Alex said agreeably, his joyous grin not diminishing one bit. "How do you get past it?"

"We have the Clankers," Griphook said, looking at Alex slightly incredulously. He shook himself. "It knows what to expect when they come. Give them to me."

Ron somewhat unwillingly handed the bag over. Griphook pulled out a number of small metal instruments that rang loudly when they were shaken, which he handed round the group. Alex sobered up as he looked at his.

"So it's been conditioned to obey anyone with these things?" he asked.

"To fear them," Griphook sneered. "It will retreat from the noise, then Bogrod must place his palm upon the door of the vault."

"The poor thing," Hermione said, sounding appalled.

"The poor thing?!" Ron exclaimed. "It nearly killed us."

"That's still no reason—"

"We can argue about the ethics of animal training later," Harry interrupted firmly. They did not have time for this. "Griphook, if you'd lead the way?"

If Gringotts' guards hadn't known where they were before, the racket the Clankers made must surely have told them. It certainly deafened Harry. They did their job though; the dragon backed away from the noise, quivering in terror and making itself as small as such a gigantic beast could be. One quick reapplication of the Imperius curse later and they were in the Lestrange vault.

Harry had barely even started looking for Hufflepuff's cup when the door reappeared behind them, plunging the vault into darkness. "No matter, Bogrod will be able to release us," Griphook snapped. "Light your wands, wizards."

Harry was already casting _lumos_ as he spoke, and Ron and Hermione weren't far behind him. The fourth light, a powerful little torch that Alex was moving systematically over the assembled treasure, caught Griphook's attention. "That is an unusual wand," the goblin said warily.

"It's not a wand," Alex said. "All it does is produce light. Well, and write, because Smithers decided to take 'penlight' literally." He sounded casual, not even looking at Griphook as he spoke, but Harry knew enough about Alex Rider by now to be sure his young friend had picked his words carefully. It sounded like he didn't want Griphook to realise he was a Muggle. Not yet, at least.

Hermione's scream cut off any more questions Griphook might have asked. Harry turned his wand-light on her in time to see a jewelled goblet fall from her hand. It duplicated quickly as it fell, so that by the time it hit the ground a dozen copies landed with it.

"It burned me!" Hermione complained, sucking on her burnt fingers.

"Gemino and Flagrante curses!" Griphook said. "Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless."

"So everyone freeze," Alex said sharply. They froze, Ron squeaking when he realised just how close his foot was to one of the fallen goblets. "You all need to back slowly up to the door before we're buried in red hot gold."

Harry actually backed up a step before realising that Alex wasn't coming with him. "You can't stay there alone," he protested.

"I'm the smallest," Alex argued back, "and I've had a lot of practice at not touching dangerous things. Now hurry up, we're running out of time here. If I were a cursed cup, where would I be," he thought out loud.

"If I were a psychotic nutcase," Harry heard Ron say, "where would I put my boss's prize cup?"

"It'll be on display," Hermione said after a moment's pause, "but not easy to get to. High up, maybe?" They all lifted their lights towards the top of the piles of treasure.

"There," Harry cried. "There it is." Right at the top of the central column lay the little golden cup that had once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. It was well out of reach though. Harry racked his brains trying to think of any way to get anywhere near the horcrux.

_"Accio cup,"_ Hermione tried. Evidently she had forgotten the advice Griphook had given them when they began planning the break in. At any rate the cup stayed where it was.

"I've got this," Alex said. He stuck his penlight between his teeth, got out his house keys and pulled off the keyfob. A quick twist of his hand and the thick metal tag turned into a small but serviceable grapnel. He then tugged at the button of his watch, which turned out to be attached to a spool of wire, and fastened the grapnel to it. Whirling it around his head, he cast the grapnel at the cup.

He missed, and had to jump back from the small shower of gold coins he dislodged. Grumbling incoherently around his torch, he reeled the wire in to try again. The trouble was, the cup was a really small target. Alex seemed to be really good, Harry thought, but hooking the cup with such a small grapnel was nearly impossible. Unless...

"Wait," Harry shouted as Alex began whirling the grapnel around his head. "I think I can help." Summoning wouldn't work within the vault, but a more complex charm on something that wasn't actually stored here should. _"Mobilires,"_ he cried, casting the most general-purpose motion-controlling spell he could think of. There were more specific metal-moving spells, but Harry would have had to think about them and time was of the essence.

The grapnel soared off towards the cup, to Harry's immense relief. Unfortunately that didn't mean it stuck a hook through one of the cup's handles. "Careful," Alex shouted as more gold cascaded down the pile. At least none of it duplicated.

"This isn't as easy as it looks," Harry grumbled. He squinted up at the cup, trying to get a better view of where exactly the grapnel and the cup were.

"Next time I'm asking Smithers for a drone," Alex muttered.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you do better than this." Third time lucky, Harry thought to himself. As he brought the grapnel in slowly for one more pass, distant clanking could be heard outside and the dragon roared.

"Yes!" Ron cheered as the hook went through the handle.

"Hold it there," Alex commanded. He twisted his watch and the wire went taut. Harry made sure the cup was well hooked before dropping his spell and letting Alex reel it in.

"Don't touch it," Harry yelled. "Hermione?"

Hermione stepped forwards, holding her beaded bag open. Alex muttered something about not being stupid, but when it became clear that the bag's opening was only just wide enough to get the cup in, Alex was the one to just grab it and push. His cry of pain mixed with Hermione's shriek as she jumped back from the shower of red hot duplicates.

"Are you OK?" Harry asked both of them.

"No time," Alex said through gritted teeth. "We have to get out of here." The clanking was loud now. It sounded like the goblins were practically at the door.

One last time, Harry cast _imperio_ at Bogrod and the goblin bemusedly opened the vault door for them. As he did so, Griphook grabbed the beaded bag and leapt forward. "Help! Thieves!" he cried, brushing past Alex as he made for the advancing mob of goblins. Alex barely seemed to move, but suddenly Griphook was on the ground and the bag was in Alex's hand.

_"Stupefy,"_ Harry bellowed, casting his stunner randomly into the horde of goblins approaching with knives and clubs. _"Stupefy!"_ Ron and Hermione joined in and Alex dropped into a fighting crouch in front of them, but there were too many, and wizard guards besides coming around the corner.

The dragon roared and breathed fire over the heads of the goblins, sending the wizard guards running. That gave Harry an idea. It was crazy, but this seemed to be a day for crazy ideas. _"Relashio,"_ he cried, aiming at the chains that held the dragon captive. With a loud clang, the chains fell away.

"Oh my God," Alex said excitedly.

"Quick, follow me," Harry shouted, running for the mostly blind dragon. Hermione started to ask a question, but Ron didn't give her the opportunity. He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her along, still firing stunners as he went. Alex was their rearguard, efficiently taking down any goblins that got too close.

Luckily it took the dragon a while to realise it was free. Harry, Hermione and Ron had managed to climb up and hang on to it securely by the time it reared back and roared. "Alex!" Harry shouted.

He needn't have worried. The dragon had barely started lumbering forwards, wings spread, when Alex vaulted up off its rear leg and onto its back, tucking himself in behind Ron. "You have the best ideas," he yelled happily.

"It's too big," Hermione cried over the screams of the goblins, "it can't get out." Even as she said it though, dragon fire was playing down the corridor and rock started crumbling under the dragon's powerful claws. The noise and heat were incredible as the dragon dug its way out, and Harry had to hide his face from all the dust. Blindly he cast blasting hexes to help enlarge the tunnel, expecting any moment to be scraped off against the rocky ceiling.

Harry never could say how long they struggled through the underground caverns. Time seemed to stop until suddenly they burst into the great marbled hall, and wizards and goblins alike started screaming and running from them. Sensing freedom, the dragon leapt up and crashed through the ornate roof into the open air.

Alex whooped as they soared away. "The _best_ ideas," he shouted.


End file.
